Monster
by Shiningmewtwo
Summary: Redkit isn't like the other kits. Flamewhisker's kits say he has a long nose, the warriors stay away from him, and the clan leader gets in a bad mood whenever he comes near him. What's wrong with him? And why does everyone call him a monster? A fox cub is taken in to ThunderClan. Rated T for Warriors.
1. Prologue: A kit and a cub

**Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter.**

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**Prologue: A kit and a cub**

Thunder roared in the distance. A flash of light came soon after, lighting up the clearing for the few soaked cats still running for cover.

Wolfstar stood in the clearing, seemingly immune to the water that soaked his pelt until it clung to his body and the ominous sounds of nearby lightning. He watched with narrowed eyes as a young queen padded in the camp. She was hunched over, a small red bundle hanging from her mouth.

"Fawndapple," Wolfstar tried to keep his voice soft, he knew she was still grieving over the loss of her two kits, "I **hope** that's not what I think it is."

The she-cat didn't try to speak, she simply raised her head to look at him, moons of grief shone in her tired green eyes.

"What's all the racket?" Flamewhisker complained, peering out of the nursery at the two. Upon laying her eyes on the wet bundle she let out a bone-chilling snarl, "that **thing** is not coming anywhere near my kits."

"I'll dispose of the little wretch," Brownstep offered, unsheathing his claws menacingly.

A look of fear crossed Fawndapple's eyes. She began to edge backwards towards the camp entrance.

"Hawkkit! Get back here!" Flamewhisker called out as the brown kit ran out of the nursery and into the clearing.

Wolfstar blocked the entrance, his tail flicking thoughtfully. "You would really leave? For the sake of that beast?"

The light ginger queen stared at him with the same grief stricken eyes, only stronger this time it seemed.

Wolfstar silently cursed himself for not being stronger, no cat would ever know how difficult it could be to make these decisions. That ugly creature could and would kill them all. He paced along the soaked ground, ignoring the pounding of raindrops against his skull.

"Fine. **It** can stay," Wolfstar finally decided.

Brownstep let out a hiss of surprise.

"But only until it becomes a threat to my clan," Wolfstar growled, silently flattening his prickling fur, thankful that it would be hard to see in the rain.

The queen gave silent nod, causing the small bundle to let out an indignant squeal. Quietly she crept into the nursery, ignoring the threatening growls from Flamewhisker.

The brown kit in the clearing let out a sneeze.

Wolfstar padded over to the young kit and gave him a gentle nudge.

"Come young one, it's time to go in."

As he spoke, a bolt of lighting struck a nearby tree, lighting it in bright orange flames. Hawkkit stared deep into the fire, mesmorized as it crashed down to the ground, lighting the grass.

"Come on, come on! Hurry!" Wolfstar urged the kit, now shoving him towards the nursery.

He didn't budge.

"Like wildfire," The brown kit whispered. The flames began to die out in the heavy downpour.

"What?" Wolfstar asked, taking a step back.

"Like wildfire, madness and death will consume all of ThunderClan."


	2. Chapter 1: A monster in the nursery

**Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter**

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**Chapter 1: A monster in the nursery**

Redkit burst out of the nursery, bowling over a moss-ball. He excitedly tore at the soft moss, relishing the feeling of ripping his fangs into the soft peat.

"Hey! That was mine!" A voice huffed.

Redkit dropped the ball, turning to see an angry Honeykit. She was a cream coloured kit with amber eyes.

"Oh, um... Sorry," Redkit apologized, unable to stop himself from staring into her eyes.

"Oh, yeah..." She mumbled, suddenly turning away, "you know what? Keep it."

Without another word, she briskly padded away.

Redkit half-heartedly batted at the moss-ball, not noticing the brown and cream movement in the corner of his vision.

"What are you doing with our moss-ball?" Hawkkit growled.

His voice was easily recognizable. Redkit involuntarily flinched.

He prayed and prayed to StarClan that he had come alone.

"Hey, long-nose."

_Nope._

"I hear you've stolen something of ours," Lightningkit growled, his hazel eyes flashing.

"I haven't stolen anything!" Redkit argued, feeling his ears get hot.

"Oh! Backtalk from a one moon old," the cream-furred kit teased.

"I'm as big as you!" Redkit retorted.

"Oh, yeah? let's see how you do in a real fight."

Before Redkit could reply, Lightningkit tackled him down. The five moon old raked his claws down the sides of Redkit, causing him to squeal in agony. Gathering his strength, Redkit pushed the older kit off him. Hearing the commotion, Flamewhisker poked her head outside.

"Lightningkit!" She exclaimed, bending down to lick her kit, "what happened?"

"Mama, he hit me!" Lightningkit whined, screwing up his eyes in a false wail.

"He did?" The ginger queen asked, her voice growing dangerously soft.

"Yeah! He stole our moss-ball, then he kicked me!" The creamy tom cried, giving a small smug glimpse at Redkit that went unnoticed by the queen.

Hawkkit furiously nodded his head in agreement.

Flamewhisker stomped over to Redkit, Her tail lashing in fury. Redkit's ears automatically flattened; his voice caught, and he was unable to defend himself.

"You stay away from my kits!" She shrieked.

In one swift movement, she swiped Redkit across the face with her claws, sending him flying. Redkit's eyes remained closed as his small body crashed onto the ground, scratch lines etched across his face. Still wincing, he stood back up. Blinking the blood out of his eyes, Redkit looked to a nearby warrior for support.

"Serves you right." Cloudfoot snarled, padding back in to the warrior's den.

Ducking his head in shame, Redkit padded into the medicine den. Hoping Leafpelt could provide some comfort.

"What?" Leafpelt asked bitterly, not looking to see who it was. Her highly developed sense of smell told her Redkit was there.

"Um, I think I need some herbs," Redkit yipped, his confidence lessening at the sound of her voice.

"You're fine." She meowed.

"But you didn't even look." Redkit protested.

Leafpelt took a small glance at Redkit and turned back to her herbs.

"You're fine; it's just a scratch," The light-brown she-cat stated. "Now leave me to sort my herbs."

"But, I-"

"I'm not going to tell you again," she growled, sharpening her tone.

Redkit rather quickly left the medicine den, noticing Flamewhisker's kits running towards the elder's den.

"Hey! Where are you going?" He called out.

They didn't respond, they must've been going too fast to hear him.

Redkit began to follow them, seeing the three gather around Dewfur. He must have been getting ready to tell a story! Dewfur was the best storyteller ever! Redkit bounded over to them, sitting down just behind Honeykit. He always sat in back, because he normally would be bigger than the other kits. Honeykit, Hawkkit, and Lightningkit were all about the same size as him, but he figured he had to stay in back in case new kits arrived so that he wouldn't get used to the front row.

"Who wants to hear about the battle with Dark Forest?" Dewfur purred.

"I do! That's my favourite story!" Redkit exclaimed. He loved stories with a battle in them, and the good guys always won! ThunderClan was the best clan!

Dewfur stopped purring. He glared at Redkit for a good minute before baring his teeth.

"Get away from the kits, you little monster," he batted at Redkit with an outstretched paw, "Go on! Shoo!"

Redkit stepped back, feeling guilty for his outburst. He knew it wasn't nice to interrupt, but it really was his favourite story.

He perked up, seeing Ambertail come outside.

"Was that really necessary, Dewfur?"

"Yes it was, you don't know what could've happened." He defended himself.

"You don't either. What harm could he possibly do?" Ambertail inquired.

"lots of harm. He's a-"

"I know what he is." Ambertail interrupted.

Deciding that it wasn't worth it to argue, she sat down a fox-length away from him.

"Come over here, Redkit," she called out, beckoning to him with her tail. "You can still hear the story well from here."

"Okay!" Redkit agreed without hesitation.

He bounded over to sit close to the golden elder, trying very hard to keep his mouth shut.

"Alright, now this is the story of the battle of the foxes. It takes place in the old forest..." Dewfur began.

"Is that really appropriate?" Ambertail asked.

**"I'll tell whatever story I want to, you crazy old she-cat!" **Dewfur yowled.

"**Anyways**, One day Graystripe..."

Redkit eagerly listened to the story, remembering to keep as quiet as possible. It wasn't as good as the battle with Dark Forest, but it was still a good story. He held back a cheer when the clans drove out the mangy foxes. He hated foxes, everyone did, and they deserved to be hated! They were manipulative, ugly, and murdered cats for no good reason!

"Can you tell it again?" Redkit asked, forgetting to stay silent.

There was no reply, everyone simply left. Dewfur and Ambertail padded back into the elders den, Hawkkit ran off to help Leafpelt, and Lightningkit and Honeykit began to make their way back to the nursery.

After a moment Redkit stood up. As he made his way across the clearing, he noticed his mother and Wolfstar chatting. As he started to pad towards them, Fawndapple seemed to get really angry. He came to halt, watching in astonishment as she swiped him across the muzzle with unsheathed claws. He yowled and spat at her before stomping off.

As the clan leader passed Redkit, he let out a snarl. "Move out of the way, you miserable excuse for a piece of fox-dung."

Redkit submissively backed out of his way and slowly padded over to Fawndapple, who's pelt bristled as she glared at Wolfstar.

"Fawndapple, why did he get so mad?" Redkit asked in a quiet voice.

"He's just having a bad day, dear," Fawndapple meowed without taking her eyes off of Wolfstar.

The pair slowly entered the nursery. Feeling drowsiness overwhelm him, Redkit lied down in the soft bedding. He let out a yawn, already feeling his thoughts begin to slip away. The world turned into a grey blur, and went black.

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**

**Am I taking to long to make the next chapter? Chances are, I have writer's block. I'm not saying that I can't supply ideas for my own story. But if you have an idea, tell me! You can help move things along!**

**Was there something you didn't like? Did I make a mistake? If so, be sure to tell me!**

**Thanks to Spiderweave and Raeda2001 for their reviews!**


	3. Chapter 2: A fox's heart

**Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter**

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**Chapter 2: A fox's heart**

"Hawkpaw! Lightningpaw! Honeypaw!" The crowd chanted.

The three new apprentices proudly raised their heads, ears perked to listen to their new names.

"Honeypaw! Honeypaw!" Redkit chanted from the nursery, straining to see the three little figures on the ledge.

He happily bounced over to Honeypaw as she leapt down from the ledge.

"Congratulations!"

"Ma says we aren't allowed to talk to you." The cream apprentice stated, turning her head away.

"O-oh. Well maybe we could talk later, or if... You know... We don't need to talk to uh..." Redkit stopped as she turned to look at him, the look in her eyes said everything.

"Oh... Ok," Redkit mumble, "Uh... Bye."

They say goodbyes are never forever, but Redkit felt like that one was an exception. Even if he saw her again, she would seem as if she was on the other side of the lake.

Suddenly, a strange feeling came over Redkit. Time slowed down. Even though his ears were perked, the only sound he could hear was the ridiculously loud beating of his tiny heart. Breathing heavily, he looked behind him. Unable to shake the sense of dread, he continued to turn around, unsure wether or not to hope to see something. A putrid, indistinctly familiar smell reached his nostrils. He started to think of the animals with such a bad stench. It could be a skunk, or a badger, or a-

"**FOX!**" A cry rang out from a warrior Redkit didn't know of.

The great ginger beast burst through the entrance, white froth bubbling out of the sides of it's mouth. Without a moment's hesitation, it lunged for Cloudfoot, sinking it's teeth deep into his hind-leg.

With a squeal, Redkit ran in the opposite direction, not bothering to look where he was going. In a flash creamy-yellow, he crashed headfirst into a young apprentice. The two tumbled in the clearing. In a dazed panic, Redkit started batting at the apprentice to get him out of the way.

"Get off me!" Lightningpaw screeched, batting Redkit in return.

The cream-coloured apprentice shoved Redkit off, sending him flying in the other direction. He rolled across the dewy grass, closing his eyes in fear. Lightningpaw rushed off towards the elders den, yowling a battle cry.

Redkit jumped up, fur bristling as he tried to figure out where he was. The red giant creature blocked his view. It stood on it's hind-legs, emitting a growling/gurgling sound. Redkit closed his eyes as the beast raised his paw to strike.

Redkit kept waiting for the killing blow, but felt nothing. Rather, he heard a bloodcurdling screech just in front of him. Daring to open his eyes, Redkit saw his mother in front of him. She was laying down on the ground, blood seeping from a long wound running from the tip of her neck to her hind-legs. Looking up, he saw a deep brown cat clinging to the crazed fox, fighting like all of LionClan.

"Run, Redkit!" Brownstep yowled, ripping a chunk out of the foxes ear.

Redkit didn't need to be told twice, he ran all the way to the nursery. Once there, he ducked under the bedding, quietly trying to soothe himself.

He missed an exciting battle. With the help of Lightningpaw, Maplewish, Cloudfoot, and Brownstep managed to kill the beast, suffering bad injuries.

"That was... That... Was something..." Cloudfoot mumbled, looking a little dizzy.

"I've never in my life have I seen a fox act like that," Maplewish meowed.

"It was a sign from StarClan!" Dewfur yowled.

"If it was a sign from StarClan, shouldn't Leafpelt have noticed it?" Brownstep pointed out.

"All foxes are crazy," Lightningpaw argued, earning himself a scolding look from Ambertail.

"Maybe," Wolfstar padded over to his warriors, inspecting their injuries gently, his eyes glistening with worry, "you four should head to the medicine den."

"Especially you Cloudfoot, that bite doesn't look to good."

"I'm... I'll be fine," Cloudfoot insisted, wincing as his legs nearly gave out on him.

"I refuse to have my warriors get sick from an infected injury," Wolfstar stated sternly, "head to the medicine den."

Obediently, Cloudfoot stumbled into the den.

Looking toward the other side of the clearing, he noticed Fawndapple flat out on the ground with a hunched over Redkit nearby.

"Mom."

"Mom, get up."

"Come on ma, you have to get up" Redkit declared softly, nudging the queen.

"Redkit." The young cub stared up to the leader with wide eyes. "She's dead."

"What? No! She can't be!"

"-A-and it's all your fault." Wolfstar growled, his eyes flashing a colour that looked far closer to red than yellow.

"What? B-but how is it my fault?" Redkit asked, feeling a mix of grief, denial, and confusion.

"**You** are a fox, **you** lead that thing here. It's **your** fault that **Fawndapple is dead!**" Wolfstar yowled, his tone growing harsher and more certain by the second.

Redkit's eyes widened, as if unable to process this new information, he paused, silently deciding that he didn't hear him right.

"W-what did you say?

"Run."

"Wha-"

"Run, or I swear to StarClan I will personally kill you with my own two paws!" Wolfstar growled with such conviction that Redkit felt chills running up and down his spine.

Redkit fled.

He ran out of the camp, praying to all of StarClan for his legs to hold up. He pushed himself to run farther than he'd ever run before. Adrenaline racing through him as numerous paw-steps thumped from behind him. He kept running, faster and faster than he'd have ever imagined he could've run as huge claws tore his rear end to shreds.

Redkit didn't stop as a stench as powerful as the foxes filled his nostrils, or when the trees grew thick and prickly. Redkit no longer knew wether the whole of the clan was on his tail, or if he had left them behind, but for all the mouse-tails in the world he certainly wasn't going to check. He wondered for a moment if he would ever stop running.

His question was answered for him as he was hit and pinned down by a flying paw.

The young fox cub stopped struggling to look at the cat that had pinned him down, truly hoping not to see Wolfstar towering above him. Luckily for him, it was not Wolfstar. Rather a light-grey she-cat with piercing icy blue eyes.

"It's just a cub."

"Well what are you waiting for? Drive it out of the territory," a white, fluffy cat ordered, his coat was so thick that Redkit couldn't tell if his fur was bristling.

"No! No wait please! I can't be run out again I-I have nowhere to go!" Redkit pleaded.

"It can talk!" A young, wide eyed apprentice exclaimed, pushing ahead to look at him.

"I think we'd better let Tawnystar know about this."

With a sigh of relief, Redkit felt the pressure leave his chest.

"Do you need me to carry you?" The icy-eyed she-cat asked, her face not showing the slightest hint of emotion.

"N-no. I can walk," Redkit yipped.

"Good."

The patrol walked Redkit a long way to the heart of their territory. Just as he felt his legs begin to give out, Redkit noticed what looked to be an entrance. As he entered the camp, a tawny-coloured cat blocked his way.

"O-oh! Hi."

The tawny-cat stared for a moment before letting out a small purr.

"Welcome to ShadowClan."

* * *

**Am I taking to long to make the next chapter? Chances are, I have writer's block. I'm not saying that I can't supply ideas for my own story. But if you have an idea, tell me! You can help move things along!**

**Was there something you didn't like? Did I make a mistake? If so, be sure to tell me!**

**Thanks to: Spiderweave, Guest, 12scorpio, Lolkat123, and WrenfootTheMeddieCat for reviewing!**


	4. Chapter 3: A shadow of doubt

**Warriors** **belongs to Erin Hunter**

* * *

**Chapter 3: A Shadow of doubt**

"What is this?" The tawny she-cat asked, looking to the grey icy-eyed cat Her air of authority and commanding tone suggested to Redkit that she was the deputy or leader.

"We found this fox cub running straight through ShadowClan territory.I, of course, had no trouble catching the young cub," the grey she-cat revealed to her.

"I can see that," The tawny she-cat retorted.

"We have discovered that he can talk and decided to report this to you," She continued without missing a beat.

The tawny feline carefully looked him over before gesturing for the patrol to follow her.

The camp was dark and gloomy, the prickly grass stung pads where mud didn't stick to them. Dark coloured cats slunk out from behind bushes and shadows, their eyes glowing, yet emotionless. This should have been foreboding, but it wasn't. for some reason or another, Redkit wasn't any less comfortable in ShadowClan's camp than in ThunderClan's, with the exception of the sharp grass that continued to sting his pads.

He looked to the other three cats in my patrol. they all simply looked straight ahead. Even the wide-eyed apprentice didn't so much as glance in another direction. The tawny she-cat flicked her tail. The three cats sat down. Redkit, seeing their reaction, sat down too. The Tawny cat however, motioned for Redkit to follow her.

She leapt up to a branch in preparation to speak.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather to hear me speak."

At her command, the few cats that weren't gathered near the low hanging branch joined the group. Redkit noticed that although most of the cats in the group were dark-colored, there were a few light silver and white cats among them, including a snow white young she-cat.

"As you know, ShadowClan is not viewed as the strong, cold-hearted clan it once was. I have heard the other clans murmurings; We have become weak in our small numbers."

Her words caused an uproar among the group. Shouts of "No Tawnystar, you can't say that!" and "It's not true!" were yowled at the leader.

Tawnystar patiently waited for them to quiet down before continuing.

"You all know it is true. I don't think I need to nor do I want to remind you all of the storm only a moon ago," She continued.

A silence enveloped the whole of ShadowClan. Redkit noticed many cats now wore a look of grief and had developed a sudden interest in the ground. _Was there really a storm that bad?_

"But," Tawnystar continued, "there is still hope. We have found a young fox cub at the edge of our territory, whom we have discovered speaks the language of cats quite fluently. With proper training, he can help us make ShadowClan strong again."

There was no response, they all simply stared at Redkit. The young fox uncomfortably shifted his paws, unsure of where to look.

Tawnystar looked to her back-furred deputy for encouragement.

"With a fox on our side, we will be seen as a strong clan once again, for however long it takes to regain our strength," the deputy reluctantly meowed.

There were a few murmurs of agreement along with a few nods. This seemed to be enough for the clan leader.

"And so, from this moment forth until you become an apprentice, you will be known as Foxpaw. Pebbledawn will be your mentor," Tawnystar decreed, giving a small nod to the light-grey cat.

Foxpaw. The name was a constant reminder of what he was now. Everything up to now felt so surreal that Foxpaw imagined that he would wake up any second, still in ThunderClan as cat. Just like he should be.

After a few moments, he reluctantly began to walk forward. The other cats were already padding away. Foxpaw remembered the apprentice ceremonies in ThunderClan, where the rest of the clan would chant the name of the new apprentice. Maybe they didn't do that in ShadowClan.

"Hello." Pebbledawn greeted, causing Foxpaw to jump.

"Oh!, hi," Foxpaw yipped quickly, startled at her sudden appearance. He should've gone to her first.

The silver cat looked to the sunset for a few seconds before returning her gaze to the cub.

"We won't do any training today," She stated.

Foxpaw looked at her in confusion.

"It's getting late, and I expect you've had a long day," She meowed, already turning away from him.

He watched her slink away, feeling as if there were a stone in his belly.

"Okay," He said aloud, though no one heard him.

He looked around the clan, trying to find some clue as to where to go first. After a while, he noticed the wide-eyed apprentice walking over to him.

"Lost?" She asked, blinking her wide amber eyes.

"Uh, yes," He agreed.

She began to lead him away from the clearing and towards a Large bramble bush that arched over a few nests, it was a prickly dark-green and had pine needles and sticks woven into it.

"My name is Owlpaw, by the way," Owlpaw meowed.

Foxpaw took the chance to have a good look at her fur, it was light brown, but white on her front paws and a big spot on her back. Owlpaw quietly squeezed under the brambles and towards a few of the cleaner nests at the back.

"We've had to build all the dens extra thick ever since the storm," She explained, a bit of a skip in her step as she walked.

The two began to settle into a couple of nests nearby to a white apprentice when she suddenly got up and padded away, settling down in a nest in the far corner and turning her bright green eyes away from them in a snotty fashion.

"That," Owlpaw growled in distaste, "is Snowpaw."

Owlpaw's tone suggested that she wouldn't mind if more than a few thorns found their way into Snowpaw's nest. Owlpaw slumped down onto the moss, following her lead Foxpaw gently laid down on his own moss, ignoring his paws prickling with the urge to jump up at the cold and wetness of it.

"Are you alright?" Foxpaw inquired, feeling a little concerned.

Owlpaw's face relaxed. "Yeah," She purred, "I'm just happy to have a friend."

Owlpaw, after saying that, began to fall into a deep slumber.

_Friends? Are we really friends?_ Foxpaw wondered, watching her sleeping figure. _Yeah, I guess we are._ He decided, letting a yawn escape his lips.

Slowly, very slowly, Foxpaw closed his eyes. Dreaming of sunshine and all the mice you could chase.


	5. Chapter 4: Adding insult to injury

**Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Adding insult to injury**

"Psst,"

Foxpaw felt a paw pressing his face, yet he merely grunted and rolled himself onto his side, the softness of the moss lulling him into a light sleep once more.

"Psst! Foxpaw," the voice hissed.

Drowsily, Foxpaw opened one eyelid to see the owner of the voice; a pair of wide amber eyes stared back at him. Slowly, and carefully, he rose.

"What is it?" He asked, stretching softly as got up.

"I heard you were going on dawn patrol," Owlpaw explained, "so I decided to wake you up early to meet some cats."

_Dawn patrol? _It wasn't dawn yet? The young fox looked outside to see the sky still dark, only the three-quarters full moon and a few stars daring to shine. Owlpaw silently slunk out into the open, her light brown tail twitching behind her.

"Are these cats important?" Foxpaw whispered as he followed the light brown apprentice out into the clearing, taking care not to step on any twigs or leaves.

"Oh, yes," she assured, " very important."

Owlpaw headed into a small, tightly woven den, silently beckoning for him to follow. Quiet as a mouse, she prodded an elderly she-cat, waking her in the same fashion that she woke Foxpaw.

"Grasswhisker, wake up!" Owlpaw hissed as loud as she dared.

Grasswhisker gently raised her head, her eyes widening in surprise as she noticed Foxpaw before the memories of the previous night seemed to come back to her.

"Dusty," The elder meowed to her companion, "we have visitors."

"Dustfoot; I've told you my name is Dustfoot," Dustfoot complained, holding up a dark gray foot.

"You'll always be Dusty the kittypet to me," Grasswhisker teased.

Dustfoot merely gave a grumpy snort, turning his head to see who was visiting. When he laid his eyes on the two apprentices, he hissed, his eyes narrowed to slits, and rolled onto his side so that his back faced them.

The young fox felt confusion overwhelm him as he saw the distressed look on Owlpaw's face.

Grasswhisker gazed at Foxpaw with sympathy in her eyes. "I'm sorry, he's had a hard time with foxes."

Before Foxpaw could ask, he was ushered out by Owlpaw.

"I thought he would be more understanding," Owlpaw mewed sadly, her eyes not quite meeting his, "this is all my fault, I should've remembered."

Foxpaw scuffled the marshy ground with his paw, thinking. "What happened?"

"You don't have to tell me," He yipped quickly, noticing her hesitation.

"No," The wide-eyed she-cat disagreed, "you deserve to know."

"When he first ventured into the forest with his sister, a fox attacked them," Owlpaw explained, "Dustfoot just barely managed to kill it, but a bite on his sister's leg got infected. She went crazy and died."

Immediately Foxpaw felt a rush of guilt, that made a lot of sense. How could he not have known? _How **could** I have known? _He thought defensively. _I can't be blamed for what species I am._

"I-I'll try to talk to him later" She promised.

* * *

The grass was damp and prickly beneath Foxpaw's feet. The young fox had his ears pricked so as to pick up any sound, but, contrasting to ThunderClan's noisy prey, The only sounds that Foxpaw could hear were the croaking of a lone frog and the pawsteps of the small patrol.

Suddenly, Snowpaw stopped; Her eyes were fixed on a small bush. Foxpaw quietly watched as she slowly stalked around to the other side of the bush, her tail was swishing furiously. Suddenly, the bush started to squeak and a small, grey mouse ran out; with a hiss of frustration, Snowpaw leapt, her paws missing the rodent by only a few whiskers. The frightened mouse scurried around in panic, instinctively, Foxpaw snapped his jaws down on the creature and it quickly went limp. Just as the tantalizing smell reached his nostrils, Snowpaw stomped over to him, glaring at him with hatred.

"That's mine," She practically yowled. Obediently, Foxpaw dropped the mouse.

For a moment, Snowpaw sniffed snidely, as if she was far too important to have to go near anything that a fox had touched. However, after the moments hesitation, she daintily picked it up and continued on.

Feeling lower than a snakes belly, Foxpaw walked at the back of the patrol, barely listening as Pebbledawn rambled about the ThunderClan border.

A mechanic snap emanated from below Foxpaw, and after a moment he felt a sharp, sudden pain in his hind paw that seemed to go to the bone. The fox cub let out an involuntary yowl of pain. In a split second, the other three cats in his patrol vanished, apparently fleeing for their own safety. Foxpaw pulled at his hind paw in an attempt to wrench it free, scrunching his eyes at the pain.

Eventually, with an ominously gory sound, he was free. Foxpaw risked a glance at his hind leg, nearly throwing up at the sight of it; two of his toes were missing, and in their place blood was pouring out of his paw. Exhausted, the wounded apprentice slumped to the ground, pushing his bloody paw into the ground in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

For a while, Foxpaw had a chance to think. He thought about the patrol, about Dustfoot, and about ThunderClan; and the more he thought about it, the more what had happened in ThunderClan made sense. The young fox pondered about how he could have become part of the clan in the first place, seeing as his birth-mother was clearly not a cat. Soon Foxpaw reached the topic of the storm in his mind. What had happened to ShadowClan on that night, nearly two moons ago?

Gently, Foxpaw checked the wound on his left hind paw. The bleeding had stopped and it was caked in dirt. The fox cub tried to remember what Leafpelt had said about scratches, not that she would have told him anyway. _Maybe I should wash it off._

Slowly, Foxpaw got up. He decided against using his injured paw for the fact that it not only hurt to walk on, but it felt awkward to do so. Foxpaw hobbled to his right until he came across a stream; he dipped his hind paw in, gritting his teeth at the cold until most of the dirt had come off. A bird chirped happily in the distance as the sun shone down on the fat, green trees, as if mocking his pain.

"I don't care about you," The forest said, a gentle breeze flowing through the calm trees and the cloudless sunshine.

_But someone must care about me._ Foxpaw thought to himself, mindlessly stirring the water. Foxpaw leapt out of the water, shaking out his legs and taking a few wobbly steps forward, as though proving that he could still walk.

_Ha._ Foxpaw thought to the forest. _I can take care of myself, I don't need you to care about me._ But the forest ignored him, the prey relishing the calm, gorgeous day. They did not know or care if he was hurt, and they would not know or care if he wasn't, and they wouldn't care at all if he was dead. Suddenly Foxpaw found himself getting very lonely.

"Foxpaw!" A voice called, "Foxpaw, get over here!"

Without questioning it, Foxpaw followed the voice. He was led to a light grey she-cat, Pebbledawn; and a black, white striped tom whom he did not know.

"You shouldn't run off," Pebbledawn scolded, her face as emotionless as ever, "Go back to camp with Patchfoot."

Without another word, Pebbledawn left in a seemingly random direction. Disoriented, Foxpaw looked to the black and white tom for help. Patchfoot was a plump, well-groomed cat, especially in comparison to most of ShadowClan. He was a midnight black with white stripes and green eyes that avoided looking directly at him.

"Uh... This way please..." Patchfoot muttered, wincing when Foxpaw stepped forwards. The fat tom was jumpy the entire way back, and kept glancing over his shoulder at him. After what felt like a moon, they reached camp again.

Foxpaw continued to follow Patchfoot, ignoring the stares that he received from the other cats.

"Foxpaw! What happened?" Owlpaw asked as he limped past, pushing her way past a group of gawking warriors.

Before he could answer, he was hurried into a large den by Patchfoot.

"In, in, in! Hurry, hurry!" The jumpy tom rushed him, although he avoided touching him.

Foxpaw hurried into the den, the pungent stench of herbs filling his nostrils and making his eyes water. There were many unorganized herbs stacked against the wall, and it was clear that a third were rotten and unusable. Foxpaw took advantage of the silence to adjust to the smell. He scanned the den, searching for the medicine cat or apprentice otherwise, but the only cats there were him and Patchfoot.

**_You? _**Foxpaw thought in surprise, staring at the plump tom. _**You're** the medicine cat?_

"Are you... Going to help me?" Foxpaw asked shyly with a glance at his hind leg, still trying to wrap his mind around exactly how this jumpy, incompetent cat had become the medicine cat of ShadowClan.

"Oh, oh... er, alright, okay..." Patchfoot stuttered. "Uh, what's the problem there... Sonny?" He asked, putting on a fake smile.

"It's my left hind leg," Foxpaw replied, catching the blank look on the tom's face, "There's a big cut on it." _And I'm missing a few of my toes..._ He added silently.

"Oh, right, right. **cut**, riiiiiight," He muttered unconvincingly, slowly waddling over to the heap of herbs.

He spent a long time scanning over the herbs, looking as confused as ever. Just as Foxpaw felt as though he were about to pass out, Patchfoot hesitantly picked up some kind of sticky white thing from the back. Holding Foxpaw's hind leg out, the chunky medicine cat threw the white stuff onto the wound and it promptly fell off. With a grunt of frustration, Patchfoot gathered it back up and pushed it harshly onto the wound. Foxpaw dug his paws into the ground so as not to cry out in pain.

"There," Patchfoot panted, looking relieved that it had stayed put.

"Uh, thanks?" Foxpaw yipped, uncertain that he was better off now than before.

"Sure, sure," Patchfoot yawned, not entirely listening.

Without waiting for Foxpaw to leave, The black and white-striped medicine cat curled up un the spot and fell asleep. Feeling more awkward than before, Foxpaw maneuvered himself out of the den. Foxpaw headed towards the apprentice den, suddenly feeling tired. As he stumbled in, he noticed that Owlpaw was already there, staring at the thorny wall. Gently, Foxpaw laid down, feeling as though a moon had passed since he had come into ShadowClan.

"Foxpaw!" Owlpaw exclaimed, her fur bristling along her spine, "you startled me."

"Now let me see what Patchfoot has done wrong," She ordered before Foxpaw could apologize, and Foxpaw allowed her to examine his sloppy handiwork.

".. At least he used cobweb this time," Owlpaw sighed, beginning to rearrange the sticky web.

Once she was done it was much neater, although still sloppy, and fit more neatly onto the wound.

"Thanks!" Foxpaw thanked, grateful for her help, "but, how did you know how to do that?"

"I've seen it done before," The wide-eyed apprentice replied vaguely.

Foxpaw opened his mouth to ask more, but instead a yawn escaped his lips.

"We can talk later," Owlpaw purred, "Get some rest."

Foxpaw silently agreed, his eyes closing obediently.

* * *

A cat shaped mist appeared on the grassy forest of Foxpaw's dream, hovering near the edges of darkest part of the woods. A whistle-like sound came from it and Foxpaw felt a prick in the corner of his mind. The mist manifested itself into a feminine shape.

"Foxpaw," Fawndapple called, "Foxpaw, help me!"

A blurry shape appeared, slobbering and twitchy like the day it killed her. Foxpaw felt a twinge of apprehension, which grew as he stared into Fawndapple's soulless eyes. Suddenly feeling afraid, Foxpaw took a few steps back.

"Foxpaw~" it called. Foxpaw continued to edge backwards, his hackles rising.

"I'm losing my patience," The misty Fawndapple growled. As it ran towards him, Fawndapple became a pure black cat with bright, yellow eyes.

Foxpaw heard far away yowling and pawsteps, but the black cat snatched him with a hiss; he was dragged into the darkest region of the forest.

* * *

**Thanks to: Spiderweave, Flowerkit, Account moved elsewhere, shadowwolf, jazara evergreen, and cutebluekitty for reviewing!**


	6. Chapter 5: The only thing to fear

**Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter**

* * *

**Chapter 5: The only thing to fear**

"Pathetic," The harsh, low voice hissed beside Foxpaw's ear in the dark. He could feel the cold breath of the attacker as it sent a small chill down his spine.

Getting over the initial shock, he looked to the last glimpse of light; the only way out. Foxpaw reached his paw out towards it, as though he could catch it in his claws. With a feeling of dread and hopelessness, the light disappeared. Darkness surrounded him, suffocating him, blinding him.

"Weak," The creature spat in his ear, his voice loud from where Foxpaw was, though soft as a whisper in the wind for the scuttling beetle only a few feet away. Foxpaw pressed his ears flat against his skull in an attempt to protect himself from further insult. He could no longer tell where he was being dragged, only the claws on his back giving him some semblance of direction. _Backwards._ Foxpaw thought miserably.

"Is that the best you can do?" The cat growled, digging it's claws deep into Foxpaw's spine, "fight back."

With a yelp, Foxpaw was thrown back, losing all sense of gravity as he rolled along the ground; discarded like a piece of crowfood. Eventually he came to a startling halt as he crashed into the solid base of a tree, sending waves of pain through his back. The young fox crumpled on the ground.

"Am I a fox or a cat?" The cat's voice mockingly questioned, his voice high pitched and exaggerated.

Foxpaw gently rose, his legs wavering but luckily they didn't buckle beneath him. He tried to raise his hackles threateningly, though he realised that the mocker could not see him in the dark. Feeling stupid, he settled for a normal standing position, trying to look for the glowing light of a cat's reflective eyes. _Even cats can't reflect light when it's pitch black, _he realized.

"Who are you?" Foxpaw asked loudly, trying to sound braver than he was.

The cat seemed to hesitate for a second, answering only after a few long moments, "call me fear."

"Is that your name?" Fear didn't answer.

"Fear is what stands in your way," Fear hissed, landing a drop of spittle onto Foxpaw's nose, "it is the only thing standing between you and greatness."

Before Foxpaw could think, long claws ripped through the tough flesh on his shoulder, momentarily knocking him off his feet.

"Fight back."

The moment Foxpaw got back on his paws, Fear bit into the side of the fox cub's face. Foxpaw managed to pull himself away from Fear's fangs, only barely avoiding an injury to the eye.

Breathing heavily, Foxpaw whipped around, unable to know where the cat would strike next. Unfortunately, he didn't have to wait long for the answer. In a swift movement, Fear cut a long scratch onto Foxpaw's neck, spilling blood onto his chest. The injury stung like fire, burning from his chin to his chest. Suddenly very fearful, Foxpaw lifted a paw up to his neck to check the injury; luckily it wasn't very deep.

"Useless," Fear spat, his eyes glowing a dull yellow, "let's try again tomorrow, shall we?"

Fear's yellow eyes continued to glow gradually brighter, until they were a blinding white.

* * *

"Get up," Snowpaw meowed, waking Foxpaw from his sleep.

Snowpaw paused, her eyes lingering on his wounds, clearly curious; yet she didn't ask, "Pebbledawn says you have to get up now."

Foxpaw blearily blinked his eyes, the fluffy white feline sauntering away. Gently he stretched, flinching in pain from a wound in his shoulder. After a long yawn, Foxpaw lumbered outside, his eyes only half-open.

"The cats that will be going to the gathering will be announced at sunhigh," The deputy meowed loudly, but to Foxpaw's sleepy mind it sounded like: "Tuh cas thuh wuh buh goun tuh uh guthring wuh buh unced a unhigh."

Shaking himself awake, Foxpaw continued on, unable for the life of him to remember what he'd dreamed.

* * *

With a yelp, Foxpaw fell to his right, wincing as his face collided with the hard, wet dirt. Battle training was decidedly not one of his favorite activities, Foxpaw thought miserably, not enjoying the thought of washing himself after either.

"You're leaning to far to the right," Pebbledawn explained, allowing a little frustration into her voice. Without waiting for a response, she leapt at him again, knocking him over in the same way as before.

Ignoring his own soreness, Foxpaw leaned more heavily to the left, putting most of his weight onto his injured hindleg. Despite this, Foxpaw was once again knocked over, though this time onto his left side. Foxpaw heaved breathlessly from the ground, not wanting to get up yet again.

"You leaned too far to the left," Pebbledawn hissed.

Unwillingly getting back on his feet, Foxpaw tried to balance himself evenly; but just as he did, Pebbledawn leaped onto his chest, pushing him over backwards and putting strain on the scratch on his neck.

"What did I do wrong?" Foxpaw panted, all but exhausted.

"Try dodging the attack," Pebbledawn suggested helpfully, finally getting off of his chest.

In exchange for ShadowClan taking him in and sheltering him, one of Foxpaw's most important duties was battle training, in hopes that someday he would help ShadowClan have an unfair advantage over the other clans until and after they recovered. Unfortunately, Foxpaw not only wasn't good at battle training, but he didn't at all like it, and it is quite frankly hard to excel at something you have no enthusiasm for.

Foxpaw heaved himself up yet again, despite his body's protests, and ducked as Pebbledawn leapt; yet Pebbledawn aimed lower, rolling him onto his back. The young apprentice's back scraped along the ground, irritating yet another scratch. Foxpaw resigned himself to the ground, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh of utter defeat; too tired and weak to ask what he had done wrong this time.

Pebbledawn let out a sigh of frustration, accurately summing up Foxpaw's thoughts, "let's try again tomorrow, shall we?"

With a jolt, Foxpaw leapt up, fear coursing through his veins. His fur on end, Foxpaw tried to remember what had caused his reaction to that phrase. He couldn't remember though, no matter how hard he pressed, he couldn't think of anything that would cause him such fear. letting out a small shiver, Foxpaw turned to see Pebbledawn padding away, her tail flicking irritably.

Quietly he followed, his own pawsteps echoing in his ears as he headed back to camp.

* * *

It was a little past sunhigh by the time they got back, frustrated and tired and in Foxpaw's case very dirty. Foxpaw padded slowly through a crowd of cats, barely catching a glimpse of a small, fluffy white cat and a larger brown cat as they disappeared into the medicine den. _Is Snowpaw hurt?_ The tired fox thought, feeling involuntary worry for the stuck-up apprentice.

Turning around, Foxpaw bumped into a cat of his size, his exhaustion causing him to fall over from the impact.

'Oh, sorry!" Owlpaw apologized, seeming a little fidgety on her feet.

"It's alright," Foxpaw assured, although he didn't try to get up.

"Do you need some help?"

Before he could reply, Owlpaw heaved him back up onto his feet. Foxpaw wasn't sure whether to feel upset or grateful.

"Did you see Snowpaw?" Owlpaw asked warily, staring at the medicine den.

"Yeah, I hope she's alright," _Especially with Patchfoot around. _Foxpaw added silently.

A long silence passed between the two, creating an uncomfortable feeling. Foxpaw decided to change the subject.

"So, what happened with the storm?" Foxpaw asked, immediately regretting asking as soon as he said it. What if she knew someone who had died?

Owlpaw sat down carefully, looking away from him, as though it were an uncomfortable subject. No surprise there.

"What do you mean?" She asked back, her tail tip twitching in discomfort.

Too late to go back now. "How did it happen?"

"Pd," Owlpaw muttered, taking a sudden interest in an orange caterpillar.

"What was that?"

"Fld," Owlpaw muttered a little louder.

Foxpaw strained his ears forward to hear her better.

"Flood," Owlpaw sighed, "up over that hill, there was a beaver dam."

Foxpaw signaled for her to go on.

"The dam must have been there for a long time, because it was here before the clans journeyed to the lake," Owlpaw explained, "it blocked off a large flow of water; very few of us even knew about it."

The legend of the journey to the lake was considered by most to be no more than an old kit-tale, and Foxpaw personally found the idea of a talking badger ridiculous as a kit, ironically enough under the circumstances.

"The storm must have put it over the limit," Owlpaw finished, "it flooded camp."

"Who died?" Foxpaw asked, to curious now to leave it be.

"Well," Owlpaw thought for a moment, "my mom, Snowpaw's parents, my best friend," She counted off on her claws, "Nightbriar's kits, both of our medicine cats, Frogleap, Ratpelt, and Silverwing."

"Who were they?" His curiosity quickly being replaced by guilt.

"Frogleap and Silverwing were the newest warriors," Owlpaw replied unenthusiastically, "and Ratpelt was an elder."

Noise from the medicine den distracted Foxpaw, and he turned to see Snowpaw leaving the den, the same brown cat just behind her. Beneath a layer of plants and cobweb, there were signs on a long, pink cut running from Snowpaw's shoulder to her leg.

"It's a good thing that I knew how to treat a snakebite," The brown cat meowed. The wound looked more like a scratch than a bite.

The medicine den brought a new question to Foxpaw's mind.

"If both of your medicine cats died, how did Patchfoot become the medicine cat?"

"There was nobody left in the clan that knew enough about medicine to do it," Owlpaw answered, "he took the job when no one else would. Nobody minded because he was lazy and cowardly anyway."

Foxpaw continued to stare transfixed at Snowpaw as she lay down in the apprentice den with a grimace.

"I have something else to tell you," Owlpaw brightened up a bit, catching Foxpaw's attention, "it's sort of bad news and good news."

"What's the good news?" Foxpaw asked carefully.

"The good news is I'm going to the gathering," Owlpaw meowed, smiling excitedly.

"That's great!" Foxpaw yipped, unaware that there was a gathering that night.

"The bad news is-" Owlpaw paused, her smile fading, "you're not."

Before Foxpaw could reply, Tawnystar called out for a meeting. Foxpaw sat down in the back, his eyes on the clan leader. Snowpaw sat nearby to her, only the slightest change in her face showing her confusion.

"I speak these words before StarClan so that they may hear and approve of my choice," Tawnystar began formally, her words giving little clue as to what was going on, "Snowpaw, from this point forth you will be called Adderpaw in honor of your scar."

He had never seen Snowpaw so distressed, Foxpaw thought in shock, surprised at the cruelty of the ceremony.

* * *

**Constructive criticism is always welcome!**

**Thanks to: SpecklefurTheCat and Lawsonsog for reviewing!**


	7. Chapter 6: Four moons later

**Warriors belongs to Erin hunter**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Four moons later...**

"Fo-oxpa-aw~" Fear called, his voice cold as ice. "Fo-oxpaw~"

Trying to steady his breath, Foxpaw leapt at the tree, his claws scrabbling against the bark. The apprentice fell to the ground with an excessively loud thud. In a few seconds, he felt Fear's cold breath on his neck. Foxpaw let out a yelp and fled, ignoring the soreness in his pads. Unable to see where he was going, the young fox tripped on a root. His head pounding as though a badger was walking on his head, Foxpaw leapt up and kept running, hearing the sound of paws pounding on the ground just a few tail-lengths behind him.

Foxpaw began to see the faint outline of the trees and grass, thankfully allowing him to avoid another fall. A faint buzzing echoed in his ears as he ran, panting heavily, which grew into the faintest cry of the smallest kitten, until their yowls filled his ears; deafening him to the sounds of the forest. Dozens of cats stood, yowling, just beyond the fungus covered pines. A dazzling light emanated from just beyond the boundary, the colours bringing fresh hope and strength to his legs.

Foxpaw leapt towards the light, his paws arched towards the starry cats. Claws dug into his heels, stopping him in midair. Thumping to the ground, Foxpaw reached desperately towards the yowling cats, his front leg extended to its farthest length. The cats reached back, his claws were but a whisker away from theirs. _Just a little farther..._

* * *

"Get up!" Adderpaw yowled into his ear, effectively waking him from his slumber. Flicking her tail, she sauntered out, the pink, jagged scar on her shoulder gleaming in the sun.

Foxpaw was six moons old as of that day, although he was now as large as an adult cat. He reflected on how he should only just be becoming an apprentice by cat standards as he stretched his aching muscles; The ginger fox couldn't remember the last time he'd had a good night's sleep. He took a moment to admire his long tail; unlike the ragged prickly tails of a normal fox, Foxpaw's tail was soft and sleek, although thicker than a cat's. He didn't like to think of himself as a 'normal' fox, rather he preferred to separate himself from the rest of his species; it provided some comfort.

Foxpaw left the den on that note, looking around for Nightbriar; Just two moons ago, Pebbledawn had kitted, to the delight of the clan and surprise of Foxpaw, who was oblivious to her growing belly. Three moons ago she had been 'banished' to the nursery as Pebbledawn herself had so eloquently put it. Foxpaw himself didn't dislike the new development; Pebbledawn seemed to have developed some personality before and after her kitting. She was as motherly towards the apprentices as she was to her kits, which was quite motherly. But of course, then came the problem of Foxpaw's mentor. Nightbriar was 'forced' to become his as he was reminded every day.

Nightbriar was decidedly **far worse** of a mentor than Pebbledawn. Whereas Pebbledawn showed little emotion, Nightbriar showed only anger towards him. He would always come back to camp scratched and bruised from a long day of battle training. It was a rare occurrence that he would be allowed to spend the day hunting, and when he did have the chance, he could barely catch more than a wounded bird due to is lack of experience.

A flash of grey, black and ginger appeared at the corner of his vision: Pebbledawn's three kits. The light grey tom was an exact copy of his mother, except for his gender; the black, white-bellied tom was almost identical to his father (Who was quite pleasantly, and surprisingly kind towards the fox cub); and the ginger she-kit didn't resemble either. Crowpelt would often tease that Pebbledawn had been sleeping with Foxpaw, although Foxpaw couldn't understand what sleeping beside a cat would have to do with kitting; Pebbledawn always said kindly that she would tell him when he was older, one of the most infuriating things to say to a young cat, but he didn't reply. Just in case though, he was always sure to sleep a fox-length away from Owlpaw.

"I know a game! I know one!" The black kit (Ravenkit) called out, awaking Foxpaw from his thoughts.

The others were Flamekit for the girl, and Stonekit for the other tom; Foxpaw had suggested Flamekit's name, as he had always secretly wanted to be called it.

"**You** be the mother," Ravenkit, ever bossy, pointed to Flamekit, "**you** be the kit," he pointed to Stonekit.

Foxpaw listened in, interested to know what their game was.

"-and **I'll** be the **fox**!" Ravenkit declared, letting out a small growl.

"Why can't **I** be the mother?" Stonekit complained, stomping his little, grey paw down.

"Because you're a tom, duh," Ravenkit replied, "Now run in terror, cause I'm a big, scary fox and I'm gonna eat you up!"

Ravenkit growled, stalking the other two kits with a nasty grin.

"No, You'll never eat up **my** kit!" Flamekit hissed, acting the part and standing over Stonekit.

"Ow! You're squashing me," Stonekit protested from beneath the ginger kit.

"I don't care!" Ravenkit boasted, pretending to take a bite out of Flamekit, "I'm a monster, and I'm gonna eat up you and your kit!"

"I thought you said you were a fox," Flamekit interrupted, getting off of Stonekit in a clumsy fashion.

"Foxes **are** monsters," Ravenkit explained.

"Oh, okay," Flamekit mewed, getting back into the game, "I'm not afraid of you! I'm gonna catch you and put you in the fresh kill pile!" Foxpaw began to feel sick.

The two rolled over in a play fight, batting at each other with sheathed kit-paws as Stonepaw watched jealously from the side.

"**Oh, hi Foxpaw**," Owlpaw greeted loudly, purposefully stepping in front of him. The light-brown she-cat was now a head shorter than him, even though she was three moons older. _I'll have to get used to towering over cats, _Foxpaw thought miserably.

"I know you've been having a bit of a hard time lately," Owlpaw meowed, shifting her body to block his view of the kits, which was obvious even to him.

"So, I thought you could ask your mentor if you could come hunting with me and my mentor," Owlpaw suggested, "mine already said it's okay, as long as Nightbriar says yes."

'As long as Nightbriar says yes', that was the catch. Getting her to agree to anything was a miracle from StarClan in and of itself.

"I-I'll try," Foxpaw said honestly. With a purr and a happy look, Owlpaw left, her amber eyes half-closed in a cat-smile.

"You're getting me dirty!" Flamekit scolded from just behind where Owlpaw stood, licking her pelt clean.

"Oh, grow up, it's just a little dirt!" Ravenkit mewed, flicking his tail impatiently as she carefully groomed her fur.

"Mommy says that good warriors keep themselves clean," Flamekit lifted her face from her flank to sneer at him.

"You're just mommy's little girl, aren't 'cha?" Ravenkit growled, swiping his paw at her to punctuate his frustration.

"Well, **you're **a troublesome nuisance," Flamekit retorted, sticking her nose up snottily.

"**You're **a troubul- a troubuh-" Ravenkit stuttered, "Where'd you learn that anyways?"

"Dustfoot told me," Flamekit bragged.

"H-he said that about me?" Ravenkit stammered, a scowl growing on his little face.

"No," Flamekit giggled, "He said that Fo-"

"Hey!" Adderpaw hissed, stomping over to the kits, "You ungrateful little whelps,"

'Ungruh-"

"**Fox**paw here **is** a **fox**," she scolded, her face twisted into an ugly scowl.

"No he's not," Flamekit immediately disagreed.

"If he's a fox, why hasn't he eated anybody yet?" Stonekit asked, looking genuinely confused.

Adderpaw aimed a swipe just above his head, making him squeal in terror and run into the nursery.

"He **is** a fox, just look at him," Adderpaw insisted.

Flamekit and Ravenkit stared at him for a long moment.

"He does have a big nose," Flamekit whispered loudly into Ravenkit's ear.

The two stared at each other before letting out a wail and running into the nursery with their brother.

Adderpaw let out a long sigh, then turned on Foxpaw, "and **you**!"

Foxpaw tensed, bracing himself for a scolding.

"**Grrrr-ugh**!"

Adderpaw stomped away without another word, the silence following leaving Foxpaw feeling awkward. He looked up to the leaders den, where she lay sick with greencough, though luckily, she had four more lives left and had assured them all that she wouldn't be leaving them anytime soon. He silently promised the kits that he'd console them later, unenthusiastically continuing his search for Nightbriar.

Sharp claws lightly brushed Foxpaw's hindquarters, and he whipped around to see Nightbriar scowling at him.

"Let's go," She commanded.

"Uh, I was wondering if I could maybe-"

"No," Nightbriar interrupted, Her prickly, black fur ruffling in distaste, "Give my condolences to your girlfriend."

Foxpaw didn't protest to her calling Owlpaw his girlfriend, despite her **not** being his.

He followed Nightbriar into the forest, but she passed right by the training hollow. _Maybe we're going hunting, _Foxpaw thought, allowing himself to feel a little hopeful; but Nightbriar continued to walk until they reached a familiar smelling border. _We're going into ThunderClan territory!_ Foxpaw realized suddenly.

"What are we doing?" Foxpaw asked cautiously.

"We're going to teach ThunderClan a lesson about trespassing," She growled, stepping over their borderlines with ease.

Foxpaw hesitated for a moment. "Come on, this is **our** territory," Nightbriar meowed.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Foxpaw stepped over the boundary, his paws prickling.

Nightbriar continued on without looking back, leaving Foxpaw to catch up. Nightbriar sniffed, glancing up at the full moon.

"Nice night for a gathering," She commented, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Oh, yeah... That," Foxpaw muttered, knowing that he probably would, once again, not be going.

Nightbriar gave a snort. A ShadowClan scent filled his nose, he stopped where he stood, staring at a scent-soaked stump. ShadowClan had marked their boundary **here**! Did ThunderClan mark their border inside ShadowClan's territory, or did ShadowClan mark it's border inside ThunderClan's? As Foxpaw pondered this, Nightbriar padded past him.

"Come on," She growled.

"What are you doing on **ThunderClan **territory?"

A brown warrior stepped out from the bushes, hissing a warning at Nightbriar. Foxpaw recognized the warrior to be Brownstep.

"I've come to teach ThunderClan a lesson about trespassing," Nightbriar snarled, her hackles rising threateningly.

"Listen, Nightbriar, I know things have been hard on you since..." Brownstep trailed off, noticing Foxpaw.

"Fox!" Brownstep yowled, leaping over Nightbriar to attack him. He batted at the fox cub's face with unsheathed claws, ducking and dodging as though he expected Foxpaw to fight back.

"Ow! Please stop," Foxpaw yipped, getting knocked over as Brownstep leapt for his chest.

"Redkit?" Brownstep paused in his attack, scrambling off the young apprentice.

"That's my apprentice you're attacking," Nightbriar finally elaborated none too kindly.

"Redkit, I thought you were-"

"**He** is irrelevant," Nightbriar interrupted, stepping in front of the battered fox.

Brownstep gave her a sceptical look but didn't bring it up again.

"Take me to your leader," Nightbriar demanded, her tail lashing threateningly, whipping Foxpaw in the face as he picked himself up.

"Wolfstar is in no condition to see you," Brownstep argued, not budging an inch.

"Are you saying that your leader is weak?" Nightbriar sneered, cleverly not mentioning that ShadowClan's leader had fallen ill herself.

"Please leave our territory," Brownstep ordered.

With an indignant hiss, Nightbriar scratched Brownstep across the face with unsheathed claws, spraying droplets of blood onto the grass and stormed off. Brownstep remained where he was, staring at the blood stains with an unreadable expression. Foxpaw looked back and forth between the two, then scrambled to catch up to Nightbriar.

"And uh, by the way, Owlpaw isn't my girlfriend," Foxpaw corrected once he had caught up with her.

"Oh," The deputy cooed, her attitude suddenly changing, "I wasn't talking about **her**."

* * *

**Thanks for reading this chapter!**

**Thanks to: **Echoed Song** for reviewing!**


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